Load centers or service entrance boxes for electrical distribution systems in residential or commercial applications are generally wired during the rough-in stage of construction, before the sheetrock or other finished wall surfaces are installed. The load center enclosure can be either surface mounted on the wall surface with the sides of the load center exposed or flush mounted between studs or finished wall support members such that the finished wall surface, when installed, will be approximately flush with the outside edge of the load center enclosure. For surface mounted load centers, adding additional circuits to the load center and installing the necessary electrical conductors is not a problem since the sides and end walls of the load center enclosure are exposed and easily accessible. However, adding additional circuits and their electrical conductors and associated connecting hardware to a flush mounted load center, after the finished wall is installed, can be difficult, time consuming and expensive. Such work generally requires removing portions of the finished wall above and/or below the load center to permit limited access to the wall cavity and the exterior of the end walls of the load center enclosure. Access to the wall cavity is required for fishing new electrical conductors for the additional circuits from the crawl space and/or attic. Access to the exterior of the load center enclosure end walls is required for installing wire clamping devices and passing the electrical conductors through the wire clamping devices into the load center. After the additional electrical conductors have been installed the removed portions of the finished wall must be replaced and repainted or wallpapered as required. Remodeling and/or upgrading the electrical service with one of more new load centers generally requires the same type of disassembly and reassembly of the finished wall. Therefore, it would be desirable for a load center to be provided with a means for easily accessing the wall cavity and the exterior of the load center end walls without having to remove sections of the finished wall.
Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction described herein or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various other ways. Further, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.